


nine lives (but this is the only one that matters)

by words_unravel



Series: General Prompt Fills [5]
Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Cat Louis, M/M, Multi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-12-05
Updated: 2013-12-05
Packaged: 2018-01-03 13:24:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,406
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1070979
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/words_unravel/pseuds/words_unravel
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In which Louis turns into a cat, Liam is a dog person, and Harry figures some stuff out.</p>
            </blockquote>





	nine lives (but this is the only one that matters)

**Author's Note:**

> This was supposed to be the fill for the "toothache" square on my h/c bingo but, um, doesn't really fulfill that at all. So it's stuck here now, in the general prompt fills series. It's not great, but it's not terrible either? Anyway, I hope you get some modicum of enjoyment from the thought of Louis as a cat. (I did.) Oh! For the record, Louis is a Chocolate Point Siamese. 
> 
> Thank you to [teaboytoaliens](http://archiveofourown.org/users/teaboytoaliens/works) for giving this a quick look-over. <3

* * *

Louis is tired. 

Louis is tired. And stressed. And it's so close to the end of the tour that even _Liam_ doesn't have a clean shirt that Louis can steal. So not only is Louis tired and stressed, but he kind of smells too. 

To put it blatantly, Louis is not at his best right now. Which means when his teeth start hurting four days before they're set to go home, he's in absolutely no mood to deal with it. 

"Ow! Fuck!" 

Liam glances up from his mobile, eyebrows drawn together. "Alright?" Louis grunts, shaking out his hand. "What happened?"

"I think I cut myself on my tooth." Louis glances down at his hand. He'd been poking at his incisor - anything to see if the ache would stop - when he'd felt a pinprick, then the sharp stab of pain. 

Liam looks puzzled. "Is that even possible?"

"Obviously it is," Louis huffs, waving his finger at Liam. There's a tiny drop of blood smeared on the tip. Before he can say anything else however, there's the warm slump of a body against his back. Zayn's arms wrap around his belly, chin coming up over Louis's shoulder. 

"Always knew you were secretly a vampire, Lou," he murmurs. He nips at the exposed juncture of Louis's neck and shoulder, skin exposed by the stretched out collar of Louis's tee. Louis yelps and tries to pull away, but despite being skinny as a rail, Zayn's nothing but wiry strength. Hooking his ankle around Zayn's, Louis manages to land them in a breathless heap on the floor. Zayn still refuses to let go.

Five minutes later the two of them are a sweaty, haphazard mess of limbs and hair. Zayn's lost his beanie and the tiny rip in the underarm of Louis's shirt is now a gaping hole. Liam's not even paying them attention anymore, distracted again by his mobile. The two of them roll into the edge of the sofa and Liam lifts his feet, tucking them up on the cushions. Louis would pout and plead for help, but his honor's at stake. Instead, he digs his fingers into the back of Zayn's knee and nearly gets brained for his troubles. 

"Lads, lads, lads. I'm sorely disappointed in you." 

They both pause to look up. Niall is hunched over the two of them, eyes wide. Guileless. Which is a big fucking lie, Niall is _never_ as innocent as he appears. Louis can hear Zayn's muttered, _fuck_ , followed by an urgent, _move, move, MOVE_. Louis's trying, but his left hand is tangled in Zayn's stupid hoodie and with the sofa right next to them, there's nowhere to go. 

Louis resigns himself to his fate. It gets him a wicked pinch to the ribs from Zayn, before he goes and does his best to hide under Louis as much as possible.

~

Niall hums, a contented little tune, as he makes his way back to the front of the bus. 

"Derby's shit, mate!" Louis hollers at his back. The only response he gets is a butt wiggle and a wave of a hand over his shoulder, a Sharpie in his fingers. With a sigh, Louis rubs at his neck. It's pointless, he knows. The "Derby Rules" is going to take more than soap and water to get off. 

Zayn's pushed himself out from under Louis and is leaning back against the sofa. "I dunno," he smirks, "maybe that should be your next ink. Neck tattoos are proper punk, yeah?" 

"Your face is gonna be proper punk," Louis quips, rolling over into the middle of the floor and splaying all his limbs out, "when I punch it."

"Well, that's not a very lovely way to speak to our Zayn." Harry's hair is a mess, his pants hanging crookedly off his hips. He rubs at his eyes, yawning, before he flops on the sofa. He curls into Liam's side, sliding an arm around his stomach. Liam looks startled for a moment, then lifts one arm to fit around Harry's shoulders. A hand carding through his curls has Harry's eyes at half-mast almost immediately. He looks at Louis. "Also, you're very loud."

"Well, our Zayn is not very lovely, leaving me at the tender mercy of Nialler." Louis answers a beat late, choosing to ignore the last statement. He watches as Harry snuggles in closer, pretty much forcing Liam to abandon his mobile. There's a happy hum from Harry when Liam finally does place the device on the arm of the sofa. 

Louis narrows his eyes. Harry smiles dopily at him. 

He gives Harry his best _we'll talk about this later_ look, but all he gets in return is a wide yawn. Nobody respects his authority anymore. He worries his teeth into his lower lip, ignoring the weird twist in his chest at the sight in front of him, and is reminded instantly of what started this whole thing. 

"Fuck!" 

Louis reaches a finger up to his lip and comes away with a spot of bright red. The ache is instant, thrumming through his incisors. When he looks up, they're all staring at him. Louis sighs. 

Four more days, that's all. He can make it four more days. 

~

Louis has never been more glad to see his bed in his _life_. He flops onto it, not even bothering to remove his clothes. They've got an entire week off and he's fairly sure that he's going to spend it sleeping. All the sleep. _Zayn_ levels of sleep. 

Rubbing his cheek against his pillow - it smells like summer, thank god for cleaning services - Louis is so tired that the ache in his teeth barely registers. In his pocket, a text notification beeps and his leg twitches at the vibration that follows. There's two more pings, one right after the other, but Louis's eyes are already slipping closed. 

He'll check it in a minute. 

~~~

"Lou?" There's no answer and Liam calls out again, "Louis? You here?"

Liam frowns when the house echoes back silence. He's not necessarily surprised. It's ridiculously early, even for Liam, but he hadn't been able to go back to sleep and then he'd noticed that Louis never texted him back. Which, Liam's not usually one to go barging into his best friend's houses, but a harmless drive-by had shown lights on and that was enough for him. 

The house is a bit eerie. He startles at the squeak of his shoe on the floor and realizes that he's not even toed them off at the door like a polite person. He does so now, tucking them just inside the living room. Which Louis is not in. 

He calls down the basement and gets no answer. With a sigh, Liam makes his way upstairs. 

The door to Louis's room is pulled mostly to, and Liam raps his knuckles quietly against the dark wood before sticking his head in the door. "Louis?"

For a moment, Liam is relieved. It looks like Louis's just passed out on the bed, face first, knackered and out like a light. It looks off though, and Liam tilts his head. Frowning, he makes his way closer and realizes that it's just Louis's clothes. They're laid out like Nicola does each night, preparing for the next day's work. 

Only these are the clothes that Louis'd flown home in. Liam reaches out a hand, fingertips nearly brushing the fabric, when it moves. 

Liam's not afraid to admit that he screams. A little. A manly scream. No, more of a burly shout. Yeah, that. 

He's trying to catch his breath when a pair of blue eyes pops out from under Louis's shirt. He and the cat just stare at each other for a minute. Liam opens his mouth, not quite sure what he's going to say, when the cat yowls. The sound makes Liam grimace. 

As he watches, the cat crawls completely out from under Louis's shirt. It does a full-body shake and then sits down on its haunches, watching Liam with sharp eyes. When Liam doesn't move, the cat meows again. This time it's less toe-curling, more a bit lost sounding and Liam doesn't feel bad. He _doesn't._ He's a _dog_ person, everyone knows that. 

The cat meows again, louder, more confident, and Liam realizes suddenly that Louis still hasn't made an appearance. Keeping an eye on the bed, Liam makes his way over to the bathroom. "Louis?"

Nothing. 

Nothing but the cat. The cat who meows once and then again when Liam mutters Louis’s name one more time, almost like it’s answering Liam. He shakes his head. 

Making his way back to the bed, Liam hesitantly sits on the edge. When he glances over, the cat is staring at him. It's a bit disconcerting, to be honest, so he stares at his own socked feet instead. 

"Where the hell are you, Louis?" Liam mutters. The cat meows again and a second later, Liam feels soft fur nudge his arm. He glances over and the cat is looking up at him, making a number of weird sounds, little dips and peaks of noise. It nudges Liam's arm again, shoving its head until Liam finally lifts his arm. The entire time, it won't stay silent. Liam feels like he's being lectured. By a cat. 

Maybe he should have tried to get more sleep. 

There's the sharp sting of pain on his chest and Liam jerks. "Ow!" 

Looking down, he's met by those bright blue eyes again. The cat's made its way into Liam's lap, stretched up on its back legs. If the continued vocal dressing down is any indication, the cat is obviously not impressed with the fact that Liam's not paying attention. There's another quick set of claws in Liam's right pec and he hisses. 

"Dammit, that hurts!" 

Liam pulls the cat back, hands wrapping almost all the way around it. Claws catch in Liam's shirt and the cat yowls again. He's expecting to get scratched all to hell - Liam is _so_ not a cat person - but it doesn't do anything besides complain. Holding it out at arm's length, Liam can't help but check --

Boy cat. Right then. 

He sets the cat down on the bed beside him. Immediately he starts grooming himself, exactly where Liam's hands had been. Like Liam's dirtied him or something. A second later, the cat stops. He shakes his head and gives Liam a look he can only describe as bewildered. There's a tiny sound, one that sounds kind of pathetic and lost and dammit, Liam's only human. With a sigh, he reaches out and runs a hand over the cat's head. The fur is really, really soft. Liam does it again. 

It gets him a different sound this time, a low rumble that seems to startle the cat itself. Liam can't help but laugh a little. That earns him a dirty look, but Liam just pets him again, running a hand over his head and down his back, scritching into the fur as he gets near the tail. 

It earns him another loud purr and Liam smiles. He keeps up the motion, laughing when the cat keeps stretching out a little more every time Liam starts over. He's getting awfully close to the edge of the bed. 

"You're gonna fall off," Liam warns. The cat gives a little huff and promptly tumbles off the bed on the next stretch. Liam leans over to find those blue eyes staring up at him, the dark-tipped tail lashing back and forth. 

"I did warn you," Liam says and gets one of those ear-piercing yowls in return. He's reaching down to pick him up when there's the ring of a mobile from the middle of the bed. Before he can do anything however, the cat's hopped up and is nosing around the pocket of Louis's jogging bottoms. He's making noises again, little chirps and rumbles, like he's grumbling as he digs for the phone. 

Liam gently pushes him out of the way, getting a sharp nip of teeth for his troubles, and finally manages to get a hand around Louis's mobile. 

It's Harry. 

Before he can say hello, Harry's talking. 

"I had the strangest dream, Louis. R'member last week?" Harry's words are a bit more slurred than usual; Liam can tell he's barely woken up. Still, he continues without letting Liam - or Louis, since it's him that Harry's called - say anything. "When I told you about that old Siamese I had when I was little? Elvis, yeah?"

Liam can hear the puzzlement in Harry's voice when he adds, "I had a dream about you, that you’d turned into him. S'weird, don't you think? I mean, I haven't even thought about Elvis in _years_ up until a few days ago." He laughs a second later, the sound low and raspy, "Shit, I didn't realize how early it was, sorry."

Liam doesn't really pay attention to the last part, too busy staring at the cat beside him. The cat who's staring back at him, sitting on a set of clothes that should be piled up on the floor, but are instead laid out like someone's waiting to put them on. The cat who's got bright blue eyes and had crawled out of said clothes when Liam had called Louis's name. 

A cat with a sharp set of claws and teeth to match. There's the ghost of that nip from earlier, incisors pressing into his skin. The memory of a few days ago pops into Liam's head: Louis complaining about his teeth aching, then cutting himself on them. 

Harry's voice rings down the line, "Louis--?" 

"um, Haz?" Liam feels ridiculous even _considering_ this.

"... _Liam_?"

~~~

The cat won't even come near him, won't get more than a foot away from Liam actually, and Harry's not jealous. He's _not_. 

"It's not like Louis's eyes are that blue," Harry mumbles. "I mean, these are closer to Niall blue if we're going to get into semantics--"

"Harry." There's the beginnings of panic in Liam's voice. "Harry, it doesn't matter if they're as blue as a baboon's arse, not if Louis's _turned into a cat._ " 

Liam flings an arm out and the cat yowls at the disturbance of his perch on Liam's lap. He's made the same noise every time Liam's tried to move and Harry would be amused if he didn't do the same thing every time Harry goes to pet him. Which, of all the remaining humans in the room, _Harry's_ the cat person. 

Also, Louis is supposed to love him best anyway. 

Harry shakes his head. 

"You don't really believe this is Louis, do you? That Louis just up and turned into a cat?" He pointedly ignores the set of clothes on the bed. It's not _that_ odd. "What’s next? Zayn turns into a sloth?"

That earns him the 'disappointed-in-you eyebrows. Harry scowls the tiniest bit. He should totally be immune to those by now, dammit. 

"What else could it be?" Liam says, exasperated. "The clothes, the phone--" another arm flail and another disgruntled sound from the cat in his lap. "Your _dream_?"

And okay, Harry can concede a little strangeness at that. Maybe not so much because he'd _just_ been talking to Lou about it a few days before, but the fact that the cat in Liam's lap bears a startling resemblance to his childhood pet. That part is a bit disconcerting, to be honest.

It's also another reason he's miffed about not getting near the cat. Elvis was his absolute favorite; Harry'd been devastated when he had passed away. 

"If it _is_ Louis," Harry flops down on the other side of the bed, ignoring the side-eye he gets from the cat, "Why did he turn into a cat?" Chewing on the corner of his bottom lip, he adds, "And why did he turn into _my_ cat?" That earns him a yowl. Harry rolls his eyes. "Okay, a cat that _looks_ like my old cat. Geez."

All he gets from Liam is a shrug. He's obviously lost for words, just keeps running a hand down the cat's back in a rhythm that makes Harry's eyelids droop after a few minutes. He really should try to work harder to figure this out, but he's got, like, opposite jetlag or something. He just really wants to go back to sleep. Maybe if they go back to sleep, this will all be sorted when they wake. 

"Come have a cuddle," he mumbles, eyes slipping shut. "We can think about it later."

"Harry--"

"Cuddles." He makes grabby hands in Liam's general direction. Liam sighs, loud and long, but Harry just wiggles his hands again. The bed shifts after a moment, Liam sliding down on it. The cat makes a number of unhappy noises at being moved, but Liam just murmurs some soft sounds, unintelligible words, until he's settled on his side, back to Harry. 

Harry rolls into Liam, tucking his nose into the back of Liam's neck. "Mmmm, big spoon," he murmurs. It earns him a quiet, "You're ridiculous." 

Harry does some grumbling of his own, until Liam finally relaxes, body softening into Harry's space. Harry can feel himself drifting quickly; Liam is his absolute favorite to cuddle with, to be honest. All of Louis's hard work has paid off. 

Snuggling in closer, Harry wraps an arm around Liam's waist. There's the brush of soft fur against the back of his hand, but he's asleep before it registers. 

~

When Harry wakes up, it's to a heavy weight on his chest and blue eyes inches away from his face. 

"Jesus, Louis!' he says without thinking. The cat stares unflinchingly at him, unimpressed, and remarkably similar to the look real!Louis would wear. It's then that Harry realizes he's actually thinking in terms of the cat _being_ Louis. 

He glances over for Liam, but there's an empty spot next to him. It's gone cold, so Liam's been up for a while. Harry sighs, unintentionally blowing a lot of air into Louis's face. If possible, the cat looks even more unimpressed. 

He's got his mouth open to say something, good morning maybe, but before he can, Louis flies off his chest in a spectacular feat of jumping straight up and off the bed without touching anything. He's out of the room with barely a sound, leaving Harry laying there. Snapping his mouth shut, Harry gets up and follows. Cats are so weird. Awesome, but weird. 

He finds both Liam and Louis in the kitchen.

"I told you-" Liam puts Louis back down on the floor, "no cats on the counter. I'm cooking." As Harry watches, Liam turns back to the stove and Louis waits all of two seconds before jumping back on the counter. He sits there, watching Liam cook. 

There's an inkling in the back of Harry's head, a half-formed idea. It's a bit ridiculous to consider, but well. _Louis's turned into a cat_. 

He shuffles into the kitchen. Liam glances over his shoulder, gives him a quick smile, and then goes back to his fry up. Harry slumps against his back, careful not to put too much pressure on him. Louis does a weird, mumbly meow that gets louder when Harry slips a hand around to rest on Liam's stomach. 

"Not the best time for a snuggle," Liam murmurs. He doesn't push Harry away though, just lowers the heat on the eggs a little. Harry nuzzles his nose into the crook of Liam's neck, grinning when he hears the tell-tale thump of Louis jumping down from the counter. 

The next two things happen very quickly:

Liam starts to turn, saying, "The eggs are done--"

And Harry kisses him. 

The thing is, Harry's figured, is that Louis's a bit jealous for some silly reason. And Harry's not quite sure why that means he's turned into a cat, but Harry's never really been able to stop himself from teasing Louis. So he was just going to give Liam a quick little peck on the cheek--

Only Liam decided to turn right that moment and so, yeah. 

Neither of them move. They're just standing there, staring at each other, and Harry should laugh it off. That'd be the best thing to do really. 

But he doesn't move, doesn't say anything. He just stands there and thinks about how nice and soft Liam's mouth was against his own. And how maybe it's not entirely the first time Harry's thought about kissing Liam. And about the fact that Liam's not moving away either and Harry's having a lot of trouble remembering exactly what he was doing in the first place. 

Fortunately Louis is happy enough to remind him. 

"Ow! Fuck, Louis!" Harry stumbles back, nearly falling, until Liam wraps his hands around Harry's elbows to steady him. Liam's hands are really warm. 

Harry shakes his head and makes the mistake of looking up when Liam asks, "You okay?" because no, Harry is not okay. Not okay at all. 

"If you excuse me a moment, Li," is all Harry manages before he reaches down and scoops the cat up, "Louis and I need to have a talk." He's out of the kitchen and down the hall to the closest toilet before Liam can say anything. 

~

"First off," Harry says as the doors shuts and he half tosses, half sets a squirming Louis down, "you really need to find a way to channel your jealousy into something less aggressive than taking it out on my leg." He slumps back against the door, sliding down it. "Also, why didn't you tell me I liked Liam? You're supposed to tell me when I do stupid things."

Okay, mostly Louis would egg him on into doing said stupid things, but this was _Liam_. This is the _band_. Harry runs a hand down his face and looks up to find Louis sat at his feet, watching him with steady eyes. He really does look exactly like Elvis. 

Harry remembers laying in the dark at the X-Factor house, too excited and too nervous to sleep, and telling Louis a million different things. About Elvis, about his family, about singing. He remembers Louis slinging an arm around his shoulder, around his waist, dragging him in close. Harry remembers that roll of warmth through his belly, how Louis's always made him feel safe and happy. It'd been the same with Caroline, and with Grimmy. It's the same way that Liam makes him feel. 

The brush of fur against the back of his hand startles Harry and before he can say anything, Louis's climbed up into his lap. He sprawls up Harry's chest, tucking his head up under Harry's chin high enough that Harry has to turn his head slightly to avoid a mouthful of fur. 

"Ugh, Louis--" he starts to protest and gets the slightest dig of claws into his shirt. "Fine, fine," Harry huffs. "You're so weird sometimes." 

They sit like that for a few minutes, Harry running a hand down Louis's back as he thinks. "The thing is," Harry finally says, "you can't have just turned into a cat to make me realize how much I like Liam, right? I mean, if anything, you've done everything possible to not let me near him." There's another slight dig of claws, but Harry keeps going, talking it out. "Which looks like you're jealous or something."

Harry wraps his hands around Louis's middle and pulls him up and off his chest. Not easily, of course. Louis's claws catch like hell on Harry's shirt, but he manages to pull him off. Lifting him up until they're eye to eye, Harry asks, " _Are_ you jealous?" There's no answer, not even a blink. All there is the back and forth of Louis's tail, snapping a bit from side to side.

"I don't know why you'd be jealous, Lou," Harry sighs. "You know Liam'd follow you to the edges of the earth. He thinks you hung the moon." 

And if that isn't the most depressing thought he's ever had. Relationship over before it even started. Harry can see it now - Liam and Louis are already thick as thieves, just add some snogging and that'd be it. Which, the image of that flashes through Harry’s head and it’s—well, it’s pretty hot to be honest. 

A whack on his nose startles Harry out of that thought. Louis gets wiggly, clearly wanting to be put down. Reluctantly, Harry does so, expecting him to stalk off. He's surprised when Louis does the opposite, leans up against Harry's chest again. He rubs his head against Harry's chin, purring loudly. Harry thinks back to the X-Factor days again, the way Louis was always there, always ready to touch him. It's been a long time since they've had that. 

Maybe he's not the only one who's missed it. Maybe it's not just Harry that Louis is jealous of. 

Before Harry can say anything though, there's a quiet tap on the door and Liam's hesitant, "Everything okay in there?"

~~~

They've been sitting there in silence, eating, for long enough that when Liam says, "So," he has to clear his throat to get rid of the scratchiness. Harry finally looks up at him and for a second, Liam forgets what he was going to say as Harry's tongue flicks out to catch a stray toast crumb. 

Over Harry's shoulder, Louis's tail whips about. Liam focuses on that instead, jerking his chin toward the cat and saying, "Not quite sure how cats manage to do that." Louis's situated himself along the back of Harry's chair. It's padded, but still no more than a few inches wide. It looks like one wrong breath and Louis'd go falling off. 

Harry shrugs, the corner of his mouth tilting up as he turns his head to look. "Elvis used to do the same thing," he tells Liam when he turns back. "The thinner the setting spot, the harder he tried to fit himself. A lot like Lou here."

"He does always manage to do that, doesn't he?" Liam can't help grinning. "Always got something to prove, yeah?"

That earns him a growl and both boys burst out laughing. Liam thinks that maybe things are okay again when Harry glances down at his mouth. Without thinking, Liam digs his teeth into his bottom lip. A muscle twitches in Harry's jaw and Liam's not thinking of earlier, he's not. It's nothing anyway; they've all kissed each other at some point. Just. It's just normally on the cheek. 

Liam clears his throat again. "You think we ought to call the other lads and tell them about--" he nods toward Louis again, "that?"

Harry hums in response, considering, his lips pressing together. Liam finds himself staring again and decides it's a good time to begin cleaning up. He shuffles out of his seat, gathering up their plates and not looking at Harry. 

"I dunno," is the answer Liam finally gets. "Maybe we should just wait a bit and see if he changes back?" He nods, so focused on rinsing off the plates in the sink that he barely keeps himself from jumping when Harry speaks from right beside him. 

"All of us together can be a bit--" Harry waves a hand. Searching for a polite word probably, Liam thinks. 

"Calamitous?" he offers and Harry grins, wide and delighted. 

"See if Lou ever makes fun of your Word-A-Day app again," he laughs. Liam can't help smiling back. Happy Harry is always a bit catching.

"S'okay," Liam says a moment later, "I'm sure he'll find something else in no time." 

"He does love to take the piss out of you, doesn't he?" Liam can feel Harry's gaze, see the easy way he's leaned against the counter from the corner of his eye. The atmosphere isn't so tense anymore; it feels more like normal and Liam shrugs. 

"It's how he shows affection, yeah?" He glances back over and can't help grinning again, "You would know, wouldn't you? He never hesitates to call you out." Liam does his best to affect Louis's accent, "You _do_ talk some shit in interviews, don't you?"

"Heyyyy." 

Harry's trying to look offended, but Liam can tell he's doing his best not to crack a smile. He adds, "I figure he loves us both a lot," and Harry gets a look on his face, like he's just figured something out. Liam cocks his head to the side. "Haz?"

"Yeah," Harry finally answers, looking right at Liam, "I think he does."

~

Louis's nowhere to be found and Liam can feel panic closing in on him again. 

"How do you lose a cat?" he demands. Harry just shakes his head and rolls his eyes, wandering past Liam to look in the toilet again. But seriously, "Where could he have gone?"

They'd been having that moment in the kitchen, all kinds of smiles and not at all awkward like earlier, but then Harry had to go and get that look on his face and stare at Liam like he was trying to read his mind. And Liam had to look away because he's not quite sure what's going on in Harry's brain at the best of times and especially when he's looking at Liam in that way. 

Which means he'd noticed immediately that Louis was no longer on his chair perch. Liam thought that maybe they'd hurt Louis's feelings talking about him. He’d mentioned the possibility and Harry had mumbled something along the lines of _jealous twat_ which hadn't made any sense so Liam had ignored it and gone in search of the cat. 

That was half an hour ago and there's still no sign of Louis. 

"Oh." 

Liam looks over to where Harry's standing in the doorway, staring across the room. He can't see whatever Harry's got his eye on from where he's at, so Liam shifts over to stand near him and finally sees Louis, curled up at the very back of his tallest bookshelf. Relief floods through him. He slumps back, letting himself rest against Harry for a moment. 

"See?" Harry murmurs. "Louis's fine. Everything's fine." His breath is warm against Liam's ear and he can feel his face warming up. He steps forward, nodding. 

"Right, right." 

Liam grabs a chair from the kitchen and climbs up on it. "Hello, Lou. Thought you'd got lost or something." He's babbling, he knows. "Bit dusty up here, don't you think?" he asks. Louis just gives him a level stare, not even his tail is moving. "C'mon, " Liam says quietly, reaching out, "Come down now, yeah?"

Louis growls and swats at him. 

It startles him enough that Liam jerks, balance off enough that he has to grapple for the edge of the shelf to right himself. 

"Louis!" Harry rarely gets angry, but when Liam glances over, it's to find Harry frowning fiercely. "Louis," he reprimands again and Liam waves him off. 

"S'okay. He didn't even use his claws." Liam knows it means that Louis's feeling cornered, a bit at least, but not enough to really lash out. He'd be bleeding if that were true. It almost makes Liam laugh, thinking about how Louis's traded physical claws for the verbal ones he usually uses. Still, as he looks back at Louis to find bright blue eyes staring, unblinking, right at him, it hurts a little. 

There's a tug at his elbow. "Let it be," Harry says to him. "Louis's being a dick so just leave him. He'll come down when he's done pouting." There's a low growl, but Harry ignores it, pulling on Liam's arm again until he steps off the chair. 

"We'll play Fifa," Harry says, volume up a notch. To Liam, "Louis can't stand it when we play without him. He'll be down in no time." 

~

Louis is stubborn. He doesn't move at all and Liam soundly kicks Harry's arse for nearly two hours before Harry finally gives up. Slumping sideways, he mumbles, "It's not fair that I can't even be good at sport in a virtual world. Liam," he flails an arm out and Liam can't help a giggle. It feels normal. Mostly. "Liam," Harry says again, waving his hand about, "Spare me further humiliation. Please, I beg of you."

It makes Liam laugh again and he reaches out, tugging on Harry's arm until he's upright again. "Fine, you whiny baby." Harry pouts and Liam has to stop himself from thumbing at his bottom lip. Normal. Things are _normal_. Instead, he pushes off the couch. "Maybe a movie then?"

Harry rejects all his suggestions, making faces every time Liam holds up a new DVD case. "We're not watching _The Notebook_ ever again, Haz. I told you that," Liam can't help teasing. It gets a sock thrown at him.

"Wait, what was that one? No-" Harry waves away the copy of _Spiderman_ that Liam holds up, "the one you just put down. That one, yes." 

" _Once_? I've never heard--" His words fall away when he glances back toward the sofa. Harry's got that look on his face, not unlike the one earlier in the kitchen. He seems to shake himself out of whatever's going on in his head and grins at Liam. Sighing, Liam slips the disc into the player and sprawls back on the sofa. Less than two minutes later, Harry's leaned into his side. 

It's not really a movie that Liam would ever watch on his own, but as the film plays on, he can see why Harry likes it. However, by the end, Liam's disgruntled. He opens his mouth to complain -- they don't even end up together -- but a single glance lets him know that Harry's fast asleep, face smushed against Liam's shoulder. His mouth is open and sooner or later Liam knows he's going to drool all over Liam's shirt, but he gives in to the urge from earlier, brushing a thumb in the dip under Harry's bottom lip. 

A sound from across the room drags Liam's gaze away from Harry. When he glances over, it's to find Louis staring at him from the edge of the bookshelf. Bright blue eyes unblinking, even when Liam holds out a hand. 

Louis doesn't move and Liam just sighs. 

~

He ends up falling asleep, unwilling to move and disturb Harry. When he does wake again, an hour or so later, it's to find Harry fitted between him and the back of the sofa, a hand curled into Liam's shirt. Blinking blearily, Liam looks up to find Louis's finally climbed down. He's sat on the back of the sofa, watching the two of them. 

"C'mon, Lou," Liam mumbles. His head's fuzzy from sleep and he can feel himself slipping back under. "It's not right without you here." He's fairly sure whatever he says isn't going to make a difference, it hasn't yet, but right before he falls back to sleep he can feel the soft brush of fur against his arm, the warmth of a small body tucked against his other side. 

Harry makes a small noise, his hand shifting from its grip on Liam's shirt to his side, toward Louis. Liam falls back asleep to the sound of purring. 

~~~

Louis wakes up to find Harry staring right at him, green eyes wide, over the slow rising chest of Liam. 

"You're a bit of an idiot," Harry whispers at him, voice rough from sleep. "Also naked." He kind of looks delighted at the last part. 

Louis glances down - and yes, he's starkers - but he's also human again. With a startled squawk, Louis tumbles off the side of the sofa. It wakes Liam, who looks around in confusion before his gaze lands on Louis, sprawled on the floor. His face lights up and Louis's more than a little satisfied at that. At least until Liam rolls off the sofa with a half-shouted, "You're back!" and wraps him up in a huge hug. 

Normally Louis is all about hugs, but he's naked. "Um, Payno, not that it's not lovely to be a cat anymore, but I'm a bit naked here?"

Liam just hugs him harder. "Whatevs," he says happily, channeling Zayn apparently, and adds, "We've seen Harry's willy almost as much as our own, who cares because you're _back_!" 

Louis has to admit, Liam's level of happiness at his return is nice. He glances up to find Harry watching him. "Maybe some clothes would be a good idea," he starts to say, but Harry interrupts. 

"Naked's better," and takes off his shirt. Liam laughs, oblivious, but Louis knows that look in Harry's eyes, and knows it's not just for Liam. He’s had nothing but time to think and watch, no opposable thumbs and unable to talk his way into trouble. He grins, turning his attention back to Liam.

Liam's laugh falters, eyes widening when he glances over his shoulder to find Harry slipping off his jog pants. "Wait, I don't think--"

Harry flails off the side of the sofa, completely naked now, and starts tugging at Liam's shirt. Liam continues to protest, muffled through the material of his shirt, "I _really_ don't think--"

"Good," Harry tells him, "don't think." He reaches over to poke Louis in the forehead. "Thinking made Louis turn into a cat," Louis scowls, "and I don't think either of us are prepared for whatever you'd turn into, Liam." 

"You really think that's why?" Liam asks Harry, voice quiet. His shirt is off now, hair sticking up in several directions. Louis wants to tug on it. Instead, he looks over to Harry. 

He shrugs. "I think yeah, keeping feelings to ourselves, not being honest with each other. Not talking about them,” he adds. 

"And not even knowing about them," Louis murmurs and Harry blushes. 

"But--" Liam stutters, "but is this something that's allowed? All of us?" Louis can't help the flood of warmth that spreads in his belly at the simple way Liam doesn't even question the feelings themselves. 

"I turned into a _cat_ , Liam," he answers. "I'm fairly sure the laws of--" he waves a hand, "--everything are ours to do with as we please." After a considering moment, Liam agrees with a quick nod. "Now," Louis says, shuffling up on his knees. From here he's above Liam. He can see Harry's fingers, tucked just under the elastic of Liam's trackies. He grins at Harry over Liam's shoulder and gets one in return. Turning his attention back to Liam, he says, "Harry's had his kiss, so I think it's my turn, yes?" 

Unsurprisingly, Liam doesn't protest.


End file.
